NBA Rumors: Heat Could Offer Justise Winslow And James Johnson For Kevin Love, Per ‘CBS Sports’
Since the 2019 NBA offseason started, Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love continues to be the subject of various trade rumors. Love may not be showing any sign that he’s no longer happy in Cleveland but at the age of 31, he’s clearly an odd fit on the Cavaliers’ rebuilding plan. Though the Cavaliers are insisting that they still see Love as part of their long-term future, most people believe that the All-Star big man will be moved before the 2020 February NBA trade deadline.
According to Brad Botkin of CBS Sports, instead of wasting his prime on a rebuilding team like the Cavaliers, Kevin Love would be better off joining a team who is one superstar away from becoming a legitimate title contender.
“For now, Love remains a good player who can help a lot of good teams who think they’re one piece from being great. He’ll be 31 at the start of the season, and he remains a 20-and-10 talent. He likely wouldn’t put those numbers up for a team trading for him, as he makes most sense as a third option next to higher-usage stars, but let’s not get it twisted that Love has somehow fallen off a cliff. He can shoot. He can pass. He can still rebound like crazy and has championship pedigree.”
Tell em K. Love! ?? @kevinlove #TheShopHBO pic.twitter.com/XMrxbBOYxh
— UNINTERRUPTED (@uninterrupted) September 4, 2019
Botkin suggested several trade scenarios involving Kevin Love and one of the NBA teams he mentioned as a possible landing spot for the All-Star power forward is the Miami Heat. In the proposed trade deal by CBS Sports, the Heat will be sending a trade package including Justise Winslow and James Johnson to the Cavaliers in exchange for Love. The deal works on ESPN‘s NBA Trade Machine.
If the trade becomes a reality, it will help both teams in filling up the needs to improve on their roster. The potential trade would allow the Heat to acquire a second superstar who would play alongside Jimmy Butler in the 2019-20 NBA season. Love may not be on the level of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George, but he would still be an incredible addition to the Heat, giving them an All-Star caliber big man who can knock down shots from beyond the arc.
Last season, Kevin Love averaged 17.0 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists while shooting 38.5 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from beyond the arc. What makes Love a more intriguing fit to the Heat is his ability to co-exist with other NBA superstars. With the years he spent with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in Cleveland, Love won’t definitely mind serving as a sidekick for Jimmy Butler in Miami.
Meanwhile, the deal would enable the Cavaliers to get rid of Kevin Love’s lucrative contract while acquiring a young and promising talent in Justise Winslow. At 23, Winslow would be a perfect fit to the timeline of the Cavaliers’ young players like Collin Sexton and Darius Garland. According to a previous Inquisitr article, if the Love-for-Winslow trade won’t be enticing enough for Cleveland, the Cavaliers could also explore trading the All-Star power forward for D’Angelo Russell where he would be joining their former rival, the Golden State Warriors.
